Method for determining prognosis of prostate cancer in a subject

Abstract

A method for determining the prognosis of prostate cancer in a subject is provided which comprises the assessment of the methylation status of the HSPB1 gene in a prostate cancer sample.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A detectably labelled nucleic acid molecule that hybridizes under stringent conditions in the vicinity of one of the genomic regions according to SEQ ID NO. 7, wherein said vicinity is any position having a distance of up to 1000 nucleotides from the 3′- or 5′-end of said genomic region and wherein said vicinity includes the genomic region itself, wherein the nucleic acid molecule is 40 to 180 nucleotides in length, and wherein the nucleic acid molecule:
 a) comprises one or more labels which are detectable by fluorescence or chemiluminescence; 
 b) comprises one or more quencher molecules; and/or 
 c) is a DNA analog comprising one or more of a 2-′O-alkyl sugar modification, a methylphosphonate, a phosphorothiate, a phosphorodithioate, a formacetal, a 3′-thioformacetal, a sulfone, a sulfamate, a nitroxide backbone modification, a base moiety modification, a morpholino analog, and peptide nucleic acid (PNA) analog. 
 
     
     
       2. The detectably labelled nucleic acid molecule of  claim 1  wherein the nucleic acid molecule is 60-120 nucleotides in length. 
     
     
       3. The detectably labelled nucleic acid molecule of  claim 1  wherein the detectably labelled nucleic acid molecule comprises one or more labels which are detectable by fluorescence or chemiluminescence. 
     
     
       4. The detectably labelled nucleic acid molecule of  claim 1  wherein the nucleic acid molecule comprises one or more quencher molecules. 
     
     
       5. The detectably labelled nucleic acid molecule of  claim 1  wherein the nucleic acid molecule is a DNA analog comprising one or more of a 2-′O-alkyl sugar modification, a methylphosphonate, a phosphorothiate, a phosphorodithioate, a formacetal, a 3′-thioformacetal, a sulfone, a sulfamate, a nitroxide backbone modification, a base moiety modification, a morpholino analog and peptide nucleic acid (PNA) analog. 
     
     
       6. The detectably labelled nucleic acid molecule of  claim 1  wherein the detectably labelled nucleic acid molecule hybridizes under stringent conditions in the vicinity of one of the genomic regions after a bisulphite treatment of the genomic region. 
     
     
       7. A kit comprising the detectably labelled nucleic acid molecule of  claim 1 . 
     
     
       8. The kit of  claim 7 , in which the kit further comprises one or more nucleic acid molecules that hybridize under stringent conditions to at least one of the DPYS gene and the CCND2 gene.